Brown Tank? :s

[Bambi211]

Hey, Ive had my tank for about 6/7 months.

Lately my tank has been getting really mouldy, My stone ornament and shells, etc, have all started getting browny/green

And the glass is brown, i keep cleaning that with a magnet thing tho

Is it because ive had my tank for a while and now its got a regular bacterial cycle?

I know this sounds weird, but im just wondering? I didnt know whether it was something increasing this, cos iv never really had this problem. My tank isnt facing any sunlight so?

xxxx

 

[LauraFrog]

This is not mould, it is algae.

Are there any live plants in your tank? If not algae treatments are an option, but in my experience they don't work at the recommended dosages, to have any effect you have to overdose and doing that kills plants.

Also in an unplanted tank you can do a lot more to reduce or remove the chemicals that promote algae growth without harming the plants.

 

[AdAndrews]

how long do you have your tank lights on per day??

 

[AdAndrews]

how long do you have your tank lights on per day??

if you were online people could help you!- if you hqave your lights on for longer thank 10 hours a day then this will cause green algae, however not having you lights on enough will cause the brown algae, try to keep the lights on for 8-10 hours a day!- IMO a small amount of algae will not harm your tank just look bad and will stop live plants from growing if it covers their leaves- this will stop them photothynthesising- (i cant spell!)- get a algae eater like a plec or several

good luck- you could add algae treatment- double the dose and take your plants out and grow the plants in a bucket or tub for a week

 

[tenohfive]

If you look at getting fish to control it make sure you post on here with your tank size and current stocking before hand - certain fish do eat algae but get massive, or even the smaller ones could be leading to you overstocking your tank - so post on here and someone will let you know whats most sensible to add.

 

[Corleone]

Also make sure to get a firm identification of the type of algae, and make sure you get an algae eater that will eat it. Most algae eaters won't eat all forms of algae. A couple types of algae will call for a true Siamese algae eater to eat, and they're tough to come by (I rarely see them in stores to start with, and they can be challenging to tell apart from false Siamese algae eaters and flying foxes).

 

[Bambi211]

To show you pictures of my tank...Then ill reply to everything..

My tank not so long ago, couple of weeks...

When it started changing...

And how it is currently...

IMG]http/i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp212/Bambi211_photos/fish%20tank/S7003146.jpg[/IMG]

This is not mould, it is algae.

Are there any live plants in your tank? If not algae treatments are an option, but in my experience they don't work at the recommended dosages, to have any effect you have to overdose and doing that kills plants.

Also in an unplanted tank you can do a lot more to reduce or remove the chemicals that promote algae growth without harming the plants.

Yes Im afraid there is live plants in my tank? (See pictures) Should I take the plants out? and maybe buy a chemcial soloution? Im just worried that will kill the fish?

x

how long do you have your tank lights on per day??

I have my lights on all day, I normally put them on from about 9am till 1am. I got told that live plants need a lot of light to live so thats why i did that?

Does to much light cause this?

xx

 

[aaronnorth]

how long has it been set up? diatoms are common in new setups, usually for the first few months.

 

[Bambi211]

how long do you have your tank lights on per day??

if you were online people could help you!- if you hqave your lights on for longer thank 10 hours a day then this will cause green algae, however not having you lights on enough will cause the brown algae, try to keep the lights on for 8-10 hours a day!- IMO a small amount of algae will not harm your tank just look bad and will stop live plants from growing if it covers their leaves- this will stop them photothynthesising- (i cant spell!)- get a algae eater like a plec or several

good luck- you could add algae treatment- double the dose and take your plants out and grow the plants in a bucket or tub for a week

Sorry I havent replied sooner ive been working all day.
How can I remove it? Maybe rub it with a cloth or what? Why has it come so suddenly? i never had problems like this before ???

Ahhh I have seen quite a bit of mouldy stuff on the plants but i didnt think it was to much of a problem, the fish have been picking at it?

Yeah im thinking of getting a bristlenose ?

xx

 

[aaronnorth]

BN wont be ideal, especially with you having some clown loaches in there too.

it will go on its own eventually, it forms because of the silicates and the unstable environment, so give your tank longer to settle, keep wiping off, very easy to remove. I use a scourer

 

[Bambi211]

If you look at getting fish to control it make sure you post on here with your tank size and current stocking before hand - certain fish do eat algae but get massive, or even the smaller ones could be leading to you overstocking your tank - so post on here and someone will let you know whats most sensible to add.

My tank is 60 litres ( not a very big tank) Ive currently been told i had to many fish and i think thats why my two clown loaches have died.

I currently have -

5 Leopard Dianoes
2 lamp Eyes
1 Glow eye
1 tetra
1 Albino Cory
And a baby swortail, only a couple of weeks old.

(Reason for there onlly not in groups is cos i constantly loose fish all the time, Im thinking of taking my current fish back and getting some guppies and a suker fish to get rid of the mould and stuff?

x

BN wont be ideal, especially with you having some clown loaches in there too.

it will go on its own eventually, it forms because of the silicates and the unstable environment, so give your tank longer to settle, keep wiping off, very easy to remove. I use a scourer

Sorry Im pretty new to this...Whats a diatom? And a BN?

Well actually both my clown loaches passed away About a week ago...

Thanks for the advice, i will carry on cleaning it. Hopefully it will carm down soon. I hate disturbing the fish though

xx



Thank you everyone for all your advice, its very helpful.

Very appreciated.

xxxx

 

[aaronnorth]

BN = bristlenose

if you want a catfish, go for otocinclus but they are hard to acclimatise so it may not be ideal at this moment.

 

[Athena]

Have you checked your nitrate levels in the tank? Sometimes high nitrate levels can cause algae growth. Or as others have said it could just be down to the lighting conditions and not enough live plants. Live plants help keep nitrate levels down.

For now, you can remove the ornaments and give them a scrub (use a bit of the tank water in a separate bowl to clean them in) - a toothbrush (clean one) is ideal for scrubbing algae off. Remove any brownish looking plants, too, and give the gravel a syphon clean.

Do regular water changes and check your nitrates at least weekly until you see the levels are safe (try to get a reading under 10 - and use a liquid test kit if possible as the strip tests are not that accurate).

As for what type of algae eaters - I chose 4 Ottos for my 2ft tank - and they had a field day in there when I had a similar problem (although I think your algae is at a more advanced stage than mine was).

By doing the above I managed to clear my tank of it's algae problem (in my case it's probably down to the lighting factor as the lights are not on long enough each day). You have to act fast when it appears because it grows so quickly.

Once you've done the initial clean and water test etc, you can add whatever algae eaters you opt for and then with regular maintenance and the fish eating any algae when it appears, you should find that things clear up soon enough.

Athena

 

[aaronnorth]

high nitrate doesnt cause algae, only low NO3 levels such as BGA (cynobacteria).

only low, or an imbalance of nutrients cause algae.

Algae look for ammonia spikes, or silicates (the problem which has caused these diatoms)

 

[drobbyb]

Looks like diatoms to me. That must be a new tank. To remove it just rub it off with your fingers before you do a waterchange. The diatoms live off of the silica in your tank's seals. It will go away on it's own.